Summary and Analysis
Part III:
Chapter 49

Continuing through the maze in spite of the darkness, Mr. Halloway stops to strike a match, only to witness hundreds of antique images of himself as they seem to stampede toward him again and again. This time, Mr. Halloway sees himself "grayer, more yellow" as the mirrors threaten to "whiff him to skeletal dusts and litter his moth ashes to the floor." Just at the point at which Mr. Halloway almost succumbs to the images of himself as an old man, Will cries out a deeply sincere affirmation of his love for his father, assuring him that age never has and never will change the love he feels for his father. The knowledge that he is loved gives Halloway courage. In a moment's time, the victories he has won over evil this day rush through his mind and he begins to laugh. His terrifying though educational experience with the mirrors convinces Mr. Halloway that however dissatisfied he might have been with himself, acceptance of the reality of his age is best. His laughter intensifies his sheer joy at just being alive.